Just before the trip, I went on a 15-mile run that really sucked. I was sore and exhausted almost from the moment I started. I had to take a mile-long walking break in the middle in addition to my usual short walking breaks that happen every three miles, and I still only barely got through it. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. I know that I ate enough food and got enough sleep, so I think it was probably just that I hadn't been stretching enough in the previous couple of days. I have this bad habit of not stretching as much as I should, and it really messes me up.

So anyway. I only did two short runs the week of the trip, and then took a few days off running after getting home. I was overdue for a 16-mile run, and was really scared to do it, because I was afraid it would be a World of Pain even worse than the 15-miler. But I finally went ahead and did it on Thursday evening, and it was great. At every three-mile break, I could feel the soreness soak a little further into my calves, but in a good way, in the best way that working out can make me feel. I just felt strong, healthy, and full of joy and energy. This is why I run. And I thought it would take three hours, but I managed to finish in 2 hours and 40 minutes, or an average of 10 minutes per mile. If I can keep that up for the entire race, then finishing in 4:30:00 is actually possible. I'm trying not to obsess about it too much, though, because I don't want to be thinking about time at all during the race -- I just want to chill and have fun. All the same, it would be really cool if I could beat my previous time of 4:53:17.

*blush* Thanks. It's not as though I had to spend all that time concentrating, though -- running for three hours isn't like writing an essay or building a website for three hours. For any given run, getting motivated to go in the first place (like I'm trying to do again right now) is the part that requires effort. After that it's mostly coasting.

It's true. And speaking of bad time management, I decided I had to bail on the Leaving Iowa party, considering I just got done running/showering/getting ready, and it's past 5:30. I have therefore set aside tomorrow night to hang with leadsynth.

It's critical to get the breathing rhythm going independently of the music...a sort of in IN out in IN OUT (short in, long in, short out, short in, long in, long out) works best for my body. Once I lock that in, it seems to give my legs all the O2 they need to keep me going.

Also, when I used to jog in college, gay men would drive alongside me in their cars trying to pick me up...this motivated me to run faster. MUCH FASTER. Maybe it would work for you, too?

(The fact that you can run 16 miles without stopping to smoke a cheeseburger and a milkshake as I often do is a testament to your hard work and willpower. You're gonna whup some ass at that marathon!)

seriously, jim's right. that's fucking impressive. i used to run a little 'back in the day' also known as when i played soccer 4 seasons a year and a 5k was my cap. i'm always in awe of those that can actually run 10+ miles with any sort of pace cause it's somethign i will never be able to do.

Aw, shucks. Well, I'm terrible at soccer! At the camp where I worked last summer, there were ten-year-olds who could kick my butt. I can run up and down the field a lot, but that just enables me to make mistakes faster. =)